Mandarin Squirrel Fish/Story
I. The Most Fascinating Adventure "Beggar's chicken! How long does it take for us to go to Sakurajima?" "How should I know! I've never been there before. If it wasn't for the Buddha's temptation to let me sail you, I wouldn't go this far." "Don't blame the boss for being the errand boy! You can eat delicious things when you arrive there. And there is mysterious land waiting for us to go on an adventure trip! Hurry up, will you?" As soon as I heard that there is the dry land ahead, I immediately jumped and rushed to the ship's bow. An island gradually emerged in front of us. The towering mountain peaks are hidden in the cloud. And there was still a hint of snow covered on it. "We finally arrive at Sakurajima! Really!" "It's too early to be happy! Maybe it's just halfway to a small island in the middle. Go ashore and look again!" The ship gradually goes into the shore. But unexpectedly, there is no dock in the nearby area. We can only anchor the ship and go ashore by rowboat. I jumped down from the boat and stepped on the beach. Standing firmly on the land, I felt that I couldn't help but raise my arms and stretched out, relaxing my whole body. "Beggar's chicken, did Buddha's temptation mention to you about the specific place we need to go?" "He didn't mention it. He only said that he will let me lead you to take a journey according to your wishes. Then remember to carefully record the situation in the village and bring it to him." "Yay! I can go wherever I want! Then let's go find a nearby town and have something to eat first!" I stretched my hand toward Beggar's chicken, calling to him to quickly get down. I didn't expect him to wave his hand back at me. "I have to guard the ship. What if we aren't there and then the sea fallen angel board the ship? Surely, you must go to a lot of places, hmm? Give me some delicious things when you come back." "Well, okay~ You must wait here for me. I will come back in ten days. Don't go outside and run around~" "Be careful on this island. Come back to me if you are not sure about what to do. Don't show off too much courage!" "Rest assured~ I will successfully come back no matter where I am! Besides, I have a travelogue from Buddha's temptation. There is a lot of Sakurajima's story written on it." I took out a travelogue from my bosom and waved it to Beggar's chicken, signalling to him not to worry about me. This travelogue contains the story about Sakurajima's social custom. Buddha's temptation gave it to me after I became familiar with him. At first, I don't like it and felt that all the stories written on it were human stories. There was no description of the landscape and ruins in it. However, after reading this travelogue, I also became very interested in foreign conditions and customs. I even hope to be able to personally set foot on this different land. I like to travel everywhere. I almost traveled all over the Light Kingdom and I have been to Gloriville several times, but that is all on the dry land. To face the dangerous sea, I alone am really powerless. There are too many dangers on the sea. Huge winds and waves and the raging fallen angels. This is not something I alone can cope with. I will become fish food if I'm not careful. So when Buddha's temptation asked me to scout out the information on Sakurajima and entrusted me to find some business opportunities, I didn't hesitate to agree. Exploring uncharted land is the most interesting adventure! II. Gold Coins that don't Work? "Ahhh... I'm stuffed. Shopkeeper, I'll pay the bill now!" "My guest, you must pay me five Tsuuhou coins in total." I brought out the money that Buddha's temptation gave it to me as part of the reward, took out five gold coins and handed it to the shopkeeper. I patted the full stomach and prepared to leave. I didn't expect him to catch me. "Guest, my store only accept the Tsuuhou coin. What are the things you give me?" "Huh? Isn't this gold coin the Tsuuhou one? So your currency isn't the same as the mainland?" I stared at the shopkeeper a little blankly. He seemed to be angry. "Tsuuhou coin is Tsuuhou coin! Who knows what gold coins you are talking about! Do not think that you can dine and dash here!" "Shopkeeper, I don't want to dine and dash here. My travelogue didn't tell me that the Tsuuhou coin and the coin I have aren't the same kinds of currency. I thought it was just a different name." "Anything you says here is useless now!" "Then... shopkeeper, can I work here for you for a period of time as the payment? And I have to go for the adventure trip on this island next time. I may need some local currency. I will use physical labor to pay you! Shopkeeper, what do you think? This should be a good way!" "No way! If everyone is just like you, washed a few dishes for a large meal. Then why should I do the business? I am going to teach you a lesson now, see if someone will dare to dine and dash here again!" "Shopkeeper, don't do it! It will hurt you!" I didn't expect him to hit me with a wooden stick. I was afraid that I would accidentally hurt him and continually step back and jump on the table. Before his wooden stick hit me, I picked up the fishing rod and hook him behind then angled him up. The shopkeeper who hung in the air was struggling like a fish. I squatted at the table and put his palms together. "Shopkeeper, don't be agitated, can we discuss it again?" "YOU!!!!!!" "...This is 5 Tsuuhou coins. Shopkeeper, I will pay you for this foreigner, so please don't be angry." "Five coins is not enough! You must give me at least ten Tsuuhou coins!" "Fine. This lady, please put him down." A food soul dressed like a monk came over to help me out. I looked at him curiously. The mask on his head looked strange, but his face was very warm and gentle. I let the shopkeeper go and once again sincerely apologized to him. Then I turned to the food soul who helps me. "Thank you so much! I have never encountered such a story like this in the mainland. If I knew this earlier then I should resolve my dinner problem in the wild. Thankfully, you helped me! But here I have nothing to give you as a thank you gift. I don’t have any Tsuuhou coin that I can use here to give back to you. Oh, what should I do!" "...no need to thank me. I just want to help you. You are a foreigner, so you are unclear about this. We used your kind of gold coins before. But many islands is no longer trade with the mainland. Now we exchanged with our own currency. It is normal for you to have no knowledge about it." "I see! It seems that I can't rest in the village for my next adventure. My room and board must be in the wild now~" "Adventure? Where do you want to go?" "Here, this travelogue says that there is a village at the foot of the volcano. There is a cave in the village that is believed to be the altar of the god. It is said that there is the god living there! If the people regard it as god's altar, then it must be the unique place!" "Hey? Can you let me see your book?" "Of course. How is it?" "This book... seems to be written by me." "Eh?!" III. God's Bride I and Natto set foot on the journey together. He is the one who helped me out earlier. He always traveling in Sakurajima and recorded the stories he has experienced. We all don't know how this travelogue is drift out. Perhaps there was another adventurer who came before me and found this travel book. Then bring it back to the mainland! This encounter is fate. Even better, the destination that Natto aims and the place I want to go to is the same village. He said that he had promised a little girl in that village to bring black pearl from the Southern country to her. "Hey? Why do you have to bring that thing to her?" "Black pearl is hard to come by. It is said that the black pearls of the southern country have been blessed by the gods. It has miraculous medicinal effects. When it grounded into powder, it can relieve all diseases and extend one's life. She has a chronic illness since she was a child and her health is not good. So..." "So you kindly note it down and want to help her!" "Well... I looking for it for so many years before I finally found it. Just... I don't know how is she doing nowadays." "She must be waiting for you!" I have now become more and more familiar with Natto on the road. He is a shy guy. Sometimes he is happy. But he still wears his mask on his face to prevent me from seeing his smile. In order to repay his earlier assist to me, I always take care of him as much as possible while in the wild. When I picked the wild fruit and grilled bird meat, I'll give him the best part first. If we encounter a wild beast, I will be the first one to drive it away! As for the chicken guy who came with me... We have known each other for a while. We are all aware of each other's abilities. I believe he can protect himself well with his skill. And that guy won't complain about anything as long as there are wine and meat. The supplies on the boat are enough to sustain him until the time that we promise to meet again. "We finally arrives, it is here, but..." "It's so badly ruined... It's not the same as what you wrote in your book." "I, too, don't know what's going on..." Natto went to find the girl he knew. I stood outside the village and looked at the broken ruins like a village that had experienced great disasters. My heart was full of doubts. I turned around in the village for a while before I met an old lady. Her thin face was full of wan and sallow. "Elder one! What happened to this village? Why is it so desolate?" "The god is angry... We can't harvest anything for a few years... I can’t live...” "Angry? Why is the god angry? Hey? What is that?" Not so far away, there are several people carried a palanquin and walked past me. The girl who sits on it was wearing a white dress, but she was covering her face and crying. "...That is the wedding of the god. Please go, leave here, there is nothing to look around." God's wedding? Is that girl a god's bride? I am still confusing. The old lady is no longer want to talk about it. She pushed me and go into a small courtyard. Soon after, Natto came back. Looks like he had a sorrowful expression as if he restrained himself not to cry. It can make anyone feel so sad. "Natto, have you seen the girl?" Natto shook his head. He said to me while choked with emotion. "She, she was chosen as the god's bride a few years ago..." "What does that mean?" "It means... they will sacrifice her to the god..." "WHAT?!" IV. Unforgettable Adventure This is a village that believed in the god. At some time in the past, they will offer a "bride" to the god every ten years and ask him to extend the blessing on the harvest for the next ten years. As time went by, people gradually slacked off their offerings. And no one was willing to give their daughters to him. A few years ago, shortly after Natto left this place, the village suffered a disaster. The villagers thought that this was the warning message from the god. They wanted to choose another "bride" to pray for his forgiveness. The villagers did not want to offer their own age-appropriate girls, and they unanimously decided to pick the girl that Natto knew. They said that she has been sick for a long time, who knows how long it will last? Instead of wasting food to sustain her, it is better to give her to the god and let her bring happiness to the village. "This is too much! How can they did this to a little girl!" I listened to the story that Natto saying and jumped with agitation. Natto was shocked by my sudden reaction and took a step back. After a while, he continued. "The elder said that the god didn't bring the well-being to the villagers like they thought. And she still was unable to harvest any crops in the following years. The villagers speculated that it was because they did not send a healthy bride, which offended the god. So they once again want to sacrifice another new bride..." I have never heard of such a story before. My shock is beyond description. I might have heard about the story of "The Bride of God" on the mainland, but I have never encountered such a thing. I can't imagine that human beings will rely on the power of the god like this. They even have no hesitation to sacrifice their own daughters and abuses the girl's wish... These girls are so pitiful... if only I can help them... The new bride... the bride just now! We can help her! "Natto, Natto! The place where they offered the "bride" is the cave called the altar of the god, right?" "It's possible... Isn't it?" "Then let us go to the cave and save that girl! If she doesn't want to be a bride, let us take her away!" That night, we started an unusual adventure. In the past, I just ventured for my own fun. This time, I ventured for the others. The cave that known as the residence of the god is actually not terrible. Like most caves, there are the strange rugged rocks, hanging stone cones and the sound of dripping water. Every step will produced an echo. If you speak loudly, you can hear the strange sound from afar. I can't understand how humans think that the god might live in such a dark and gloomy place. I and Natto quickly went to the end of the cave. Here, we saw a horrific scene - a few scattered white bones and the white dress that can only be worn by the bride. They all are "the god's bride"? What kind of thoughts did they have when they died here? At that time, they must be desperate... The girl who awaits the black pearl from Natto, is she among them? There are also some new girls who have been sent in... "Is anyone here? Anyone?" We shouted a lot but no one responded. I have to comforted myself. Perhaps she had gone from the cave and escaped to a place that would make her happy without people knowing. Until I walked up to a stone pillar with my torch. I saw a girl leaned against it. The bloodstain on her forehead had been coagulated... This adventure is over. This is the first time I ended it with sadness. I and Natto are unable help anyone. Natto's pearls were not sent out and I can't help this girl. All of this is beyond our expectations. We only temporarily want to help the girl, but when we seriously met the life that ended in tragic circumstance, we still feel unwell and sorrow. It turns out that getting along with humans is different from my own independent adventure. Unlike the beautiful scenery that only brings happiness and delightful, they also causes inexplicably doubts and sorrows… V. Mandarin Squirrel Fish Mandarin squirrel fish is very adventurous. She likes to explore the divine's workmanship scenery in nature and enjoy the inner satisfaction when she sees the amazing scenery. Until she began to accept the commission from Buddha's temptation, she turned her "primary battleground" from the landscape remains in the remote places with many rumors to the places where humans gathered. Going to Sakurajima is both for a commission for Buddha's temptation and Mandarin squirrel fish's wish. But who knows, the thing that makes her want to go to the Sakurajima for the adventure trip, is it because of the travelogue that Buddha's temptation give to her? When Mandarin squirrel fish and Natto left the cave, the two of them had not recovered their mind from the recent tragedy, so they didn't tend to cover their whereabouts. With only two shouts, the whole village now knows that they "committed the blaspheme act against the god" and drove both of them out of the village. After both of them are safe, Natto, who didn't know how to express emotions, blocked his face with the mask. Mandarin squirrel fish didn't know how to comfort him. She invited Natto to go back to the boat with her. Maybe they could find a way to dispel the bad feeling in his heart. Natto just shook his head and gave her the black pearl that he had intended to give to the god's bride, requesting her to take care of herself and leave him alone. Mandarin squirrel fish looked at Natto’s silhouette when he departs and sighed. Her relaxed shoulder collapsed. Her mind became dispirited and downcast. She used to be full of expectancy in the adventure. Because of the accidental suspension, this made her feel a little tired. For the time being, Mandarin squirrel fish didn't want to go anywhere else and went back to the search ship where Beggar's chicken was waiting for her. Beggar's chicken is aware of how Mandarin squirrel fish was feeling. He did not care that she had forgotten to bring him delicious food. Instead, he made a "big meal" with limited supplies he has and carefully asked her about the story that she ran into. Mandarin squirrel fish saw the food prepared by Beggar's chicken and remembered the village that offered the bride to the god because there was no harvest. She thought of the girl who chose to kill herself in the cave. She couldn’t help but whimpered and told everything she had experienced to him. Beggar's chicken had never seen the girl crying in front of him before and temporarily acted in confusion. He finally let Mandarin squirrel fish rest on his shoulder, patted her back to comfort her, and even told his own story to Mandarin squirrel fish. "Humans always believe in the one-sided story. They will sacrifice the other's lives in order to make themselves a better life. The best way to do it is by faith. Whether it is useful or not, at least it won't make them feels guilty. But they will realize the truth sooner or later. Moreover, not all human beings are so cruel. If you go to another village, you may see the good things." "Don't blame yourself. You are just a passer-by. You won't even appear on this island. The guy you met will probably be sadder than you. After all, this is the land of his life. Those who died is the one who smiled at him in the past." This is the first time that Mandarin squirrel fish heard Beggar's chicken comfort someone. He is usually the silent type and always like to snatch some food from her. Now he said something that extraordinarily warms her heart. He also reminded her that she was overlooked something. Natto lived in that village for a while. All the dead girls may have once shown a bright smile for him, including the girl who made the promise with him. But now, when such a thing like this happens, he will be sadder than a certain foreigner. Although Mandarin squirrel fish still feels sad, after she calmed down, her original sorrowful now shifted to a bit remorseful feeling for Natto. Since then, she has been immersed in her own sorrow. Not only has she found Natto's sadness, but in the end, she knew Natto was clearly sadder than her but hid his sorrow under the mask to comfort himself. If she can, she also wants to comfort him and help him move away from the grief. "Beggar's chicken! I want to find Natto. Please come with me! If you can comfort me, then I can comfort him too. If I can't, then you can!" "Why should I help you to comfort the others?!" "Just accompany me and help me find him. He must have written a lot of travelogues. If you can get it directly from him, then our task can be done with less effort and a better result. Buddha's temptation will be very satisfied and then gives us a lot of rewards. We can buy so many delicious things with it! Isn't that good for us?" "Well... since you say that... then I will accompany you!" Mandarin squirrel fish convinced Beggar's chicken to go on an adventure trip with her. After seeing the distressed her, he who always boast himself as a qualified guard will not calmly let her go out to gather information alone. Before leaving, they carefully hid the boat to avoid being discovered by the sea fallen angels. Later, Mandarin squirrel fish and Beggar's chicken went through many places. Although they were somewhat regretted that they did not encounter Natto again. But the people that both of them saw made Mandarin squirrel fish have a new insight about humans. Just as the landscapes is never the same, humans from various places are different. Beggar's chicken is not wrong, not all human beings are so cruel. Mandarin squirrel fish looks at those who are kindly smiling and collects their smiles like a good memory in the bottom of her heart. Category:Food Soul Story